Devin Shore plays hero again as Stars find a way to another victory vs. Sharks

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Dallas Stars center Devin Shore celebrates after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)

During the Stars' most recent six-game road trip, things weren't always pretty. There were wins that could have been flipped the other way, posts to thank and turnovers converted into goals. Thursday's home game against San Jose offered the Stars an opportunity to rewrite the script.

In a game that largely resembled the ones across the last week, Devin Shore played hero in the Stars' 4-3 win over the Sharks on Thursday night at the American Airlines Center.

Shore scored twice, including the game-winning goal with 5:47 remaining in the third period to lift the Stars to points in five of their six games. His effort helped snap a brief two-game losing streak in Boston and Columbus, but was overshadowed by the loss of John Klingberg.

"I think we toughened up on the road trip," Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. "I think we've become resilient and I think a lot of people have confidence in a lot of different people, which is good long term. We got to get better in our team game here. We can't continue to rely on goaltenders and the occasional goal to strike ahead. Clearly, San Jose was a little bit better than we were tonight as a whole."

Tyler Seguin and Gemel Smith also scored for the Stars, but the team largely struggled to control the game against the possession heavy Sharks. San Jose pumped 36 shots on goalie Anton Khudobin, tilting the ice for big swatches of time.

The Sharks zoomed passes through the crease. They blasted shots from the point. They challenged Khudobin like he'd been challenged in Toronto and Boston, where he was excellent. Khudobin was solid again for the Stars, but was beat on close tips from Timo Meier and Joe Pavelski before Evander Kane whiffed on a shot that found the back of the net.

The Sharks entered the game as the league's second-best team at producing shot attempts at 5-on-5. The Stars were one of the bottom six teams in percent of shot attempts for. The recipe read for another titled affair, and became apparent when San Jose attempted 24 shots in the first period alone.

But when San Jose kept coming, Khudobin stood tall. He made the early saves to hold a lead, then to keep it tied. He also received help from two posts, meaning opponents have now hit posts seven times in the last three games Khudobin has played. He also shut down Joe Thornton in the final minute to keep the game tied.

Tyler Seguin's scoring drought ends at 12 games with goal against Sharks

"That's a big testament to our goaltending, which is awesome, and capitalizing on chances when they're there," Shore said. "Not every game is the same and sometimes they're a little prettier or uglier, whatever you want to call it. But it's a results-driven league and we got the win tonight, so that's the main thing."

Seguin added: "The whole season is a grind, that's part of the league. Tonight at times felt like we were on the road still, just trying to find that energy and that home little kick that you get. We found a way."

That's important in a long season. Not every game is going to be pretty. Some are going to be downright nasty. But the Stars have found victories when they shouldn't and performances that kept them afloat.

"I think we did find something on that road trip we just had," Seguin said. "We would have liked to get at least a point in Columbus, but we found something there, which I think we got to take all the time."

Khudobin and Shore are just the latest examples. Khudobin started because Jim Montgomery wanted to give Ben Bishop a rest. He could trust Khudobin to give him a good performance.

Shore has been remarkable for the Stars in the last week. He was the team's best player in Montreal, when he scored a goal and assisted on two others. It was his first career three-point game. The next game, Shore scored the game-winning goal in his hometown of Toronto. Now, he has his first two-goal game of the season.

"He's found his rhythm," Montgomery said. "Even though I thought in Columbus, he wasn't as good as he was during the rest of the trip. He bounces back right away and has a great game tonight. He's become an NHL player that you can rely on to produce and to defend."

Shore added: "Things are going a little better early on, but it's an 82-game season. Last game wasn't good for our team or for me at all, so we are trying not to get too down and too low. Then tonight things go your way a little bit and you definitely got to put it behind you and move forward. The season is so long and it's such a grind, you can't ride the roller coaster too much. So you take the good times when you can, but you got to come to practice tomorrow ready to work."